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A bushfire is a fire that burns in grass, bush or woodland and can threaten life, property and the environment. Here in the ACT, which is also nicknamed the “bush capital”, we have encouraged the “bush” to grow within our city so this means we will experience bushfire both in the farm lands, (or what we term the rural areas), as well as inside our suburbs. Where the suburbs or urban development meet the rural lands is of particular concern to fire services as it places a great number off our community at high risk from bushfire each year.

A number of factors influence bushfires.

Fuel - Anything that burns is fuel for a fire, in particular leaf litter (which is the accumulation of leaves, twigs, bark and rubbish on the ground), undergrowth (shrubs, grass, seedlings), trees and other vegetation. We also include structures (such as houses, stables, sheds etc.) as fuel and any other object that will burn when exposed to flames; such as gas bottles, piles of firewood, tyres, etc. When we talk about fuels we often refer to their height. This is because fuels are found on the ground all the way up to the top of the trees, and where there are fuels fire can burn so fires can be quite small but can also reach up to 30 metres. An important term to understand is ladder fuels, which is any vegetation that grows between the ground fuel up to about 2 metres. This vegetation provides a path, or ladder, for a fire to travel up, taking the flames from the ground right up into the tree tops, essentially growing the fire from 1-2 metre flames right up to 30 metre flames.

Weather - Weather plays a major role in the severity of bushfires. The hotter and dryer the weather is, the more likely it is for a bushfire to start and spread quickly. Most bushfires start in the afternoon, when it is driest and hottest. Click here to find out more about bushfires and weather

Wind Speed And Humidity - Wind speed can influence a bushfire by pushing the fire forward, the stronger the wind the faster the bushfire can spread. Wind can also dry out the air by reduce the moisture, this is called “low humidity”. When there is low humidity the danger of dry lightning (lightning from a storm that brings little or no rain) starting a bushfire is very high. To find out more about the effect wind, humidity and lightening have on a bushfire click here

Topography / Slope - Topography is the slope of the land and it plays a major factor in bushfire behaviour. Very simply, a bushfire will move up much faster up a slope and slow down as it goes down a slope. With all factors being equal, a bushfire will actually double the rate at which it spreads for each 10 degrees that a slope increases.

The Canberra Times has covered the official launch of ACT First, reporting that, "Too many Canberra residents are failing to take simple steps to safeguard their families and properties against storms and floods."

The Canberra region has experienced an average of one earthquake per year for the past 50 years; and for most residents this information would come as a surprise. Frequency of occurrence of earthquakes within 20 km of Canberra GPO Seventy-two earthquakes occurred within 20 km of the GPO in the 36 years prior to the end of 1995, and during this period yearly numbers varied between zero and nine with a mean number of 2.0.

Flash floods can occur almost anywhere there is a relatively short intense burst of rainfall such as during a thunderstorm. As a result of these events the drainage system has insufficient capacity or time to cope with the downpour. Although flash floods are generally localised, they pose a significant threat because of their unpredictability and normally short duration.

105 people have been killed by landslide events since 1842 in 100 recorded landslide events (National Landslide Database, 2007). Many of these events resulted from natural phenomenon, though half of those causing death and injury can be attributed to human activity.

Green Cross Australia brought a whole new twist to disaster preparedness with a zombie flashmob in Canberra. Zombie-clad locals invaded Canberra’s Old Bus Depot Markets, performing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller – all to support ACT First. See photos of the event on the Canberra Times...

Severe heatwaves were once expected to hit Canberra about once every 25 years, experts say, but the sweltering conditions will be the third such hot spell in the capital in four years.
The Canberra Times reports the blistering heat is a sign of things to come, with the CSIRO predicting ACT residents could suffer through 26 days a year with a top temperature of 35 degrees or more before the end of the century.

A community of ACT social media users will add to front-line preparations this year to prepare Canberrans for their next natural disaster. Read John Thistelton's report from the Canberra Times on the launch of ACT First.

Storms can happen anywhere, but they are more common in the ACT from September to end of February. Severe storms are more common than any other natural hazard and are responsible for more damages measured by insurance costs than bushfires, floods or cyclones.

During a ‘heatwave’ temperatures are above average for several sequential days and it remains hot overnight. Heatwaves have caused more deaths than bushfires in Australia, and cause losses to crops, livestock and infrastructure.

Many people believe that tornados do not occur in Australia; this is not true, they do and have caused numerous deaths. Most thunderstorms do not reach the level of intensity needed to produce these dangerous phenomena, but they all produce lightning which can cause death, injury and damage. Tornados can and do occur in the ACT.